family au · older brother · kanae koigakubo · shinobu koigakubo · demon slayer · tragic fate · gentle · protective · twins · fragile health
The battlefield lies broken in the failing light. Smoke rises from blackened earth and the air carries the metallic taste of blood and spent power. The last of the sun bleeds crimson through the trees, washing the clearing in fire and deep shadow. At its heart, Kanae stands motionless, her sword still raised, the demon Douma crumbling into ash at her feet. She stares at you—her older brother, the Star Hashira—your arm still humming with the residual energy of the deflection that saved her. Your breath is even, but your eyes are a gathering storm. Then a voice shatters the quiet: "Kanae-chan—! You're alive! I… I was terrified!" Sanemi rushes forward, his concern raw and genuine, but your hand moves faster than thought. A dagger flies and sinks into a tree trunk a finger's width fro…